Moore School study

The study produced the following facts, all pertinent to the year 2008:

Visitors and local residents who took advantage of South Carolina’s most famous recreational assets – its sandy beaches and ocean surf – added about $3.5 billion to the state’s economy and supported nearly 81,000 jobs.

The boat-building industry added nearly $400 million to the state’s economy and supported more than 9,500 jobs.

Mining activities added nearly $219 million to the state’s economy and supported more than 2,500 jobs.

Commercial marine fisheries in South Carolina added about $14 million to the state’s economy and supported 661 jobs.

As the economy recovers from the recession and “expands in the years ahead, these impacts will grow,” the report said. “Natural resources should always be considered integral to economic development.”

And, well-managed natural resources have still another impact, according to the report: “Increasingly, scholarly research shows that talented people – the kind the state wants to retain – reside in places with quality natural resource-related amenities and recreation opportunities. Thus, they provide a magnet for human capital.”